Wildcats miss NCAA gymnastics regionals but will send 2 to Alabama

Arizona finished the regular season ranked No. 38 nationally, two spots short of qualifying for the NCAA gymnastics regionals.

But Madison Cindric and Christina Berg will still be able to represent the GymCats at the University of Alabama on Saturday.

Cindric qualified to compete in the all-around, and Berg will perform on the uneven bars.

Berg, a sophomore from Illinois, said she wished the team could have qualified but will still try her best.

“It’s disappointing the entire team couldn’t have qualified for regionals, but it’s also good for me that, what I worked for all year, has paid off. Especially on my standout event,” Berg said. “I can go and compete and get one more chance to get a good score and end on a high note.”

Last year, Berg finished in the top five in uneven bars at regionals. Berg has competed both on floor and bars this season, but she said she has always excelled at uneven bars.

This season, Berg scored a season and career high of 9.925 on the apparatus.

“It’s always been my best event, since I was little,” Berg said.

Both athletes will be split up and join qualifying teams on their rotations. Berg will be one of two individual athletes rotating with the University of Illinois; Cindric will compete alongside the University of Michigan.

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Berg said she will cheer on the Fighting Illini while also supporting her UA teammate.

But before Berg could leave to Tuscaloosa on Thursday with Cindric and their two coaches, Berg had to get better. The sophomore fell sick early in the week and took a couple days off from practice.

Then she had to take a test she would be missing Wednesday and complete some make up assignments.

“It’s just a lot of stuff on the road that we have to do besides gymnastics just to make sure everything’s getting done and we’re staying on task,” Berg said.

Although the team isn’t going, and there was a lot of class work to be done before she could leave, Berg said she’s excited to be able to go to Tuscaloosa — a city she has never been to — and to see her father and brother over the weekend.

Even without the extended support available with the team, Berg said she believes having last year’s regional experience will help her feel more comfortable.

“Although I’ll be by myself, it’s just a good meet to go to,” Berg said. “The atmosphere is a lot more different than other meets. It’s a lot more serious (and has) a lot of different schools we’ve never competed against.

“So, I really just want to go, do one of my best routines and hopefully end on a good score.”